This post is about my favorite books for teenage readers like myself. Everyone needs a good book, and that includes teenage readers too. That’s why I’m helping all of you by giving you a long list of recommended books for teenage readers.
I’ve organized the books in alphabetical order because… well, that was just the easiest way to organize them. I read all kinds of different genres, so these books are all drastically different, although they’re all books for teenage readers. Some are for different ages and reading levels as well.
The ratings, reading levels, age recommendations, and descriptions are my opinion and are written entirely by me.
Here is a table of contents, so you can see everything we’ll be going over in this post:
Author: Kristine Asselyn Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9-16 Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction Content Labels: None (that I noticed) The Art of the Swap is a very interesting and drama-filled book. It’s about a girl named Hannah who is the caretaker of an old mansion that is now a historical museum. Hannah has always been obsessed with learning about The girl that used to live in the mansion, Maggie. But one day, when Hannah and Maggie both look in a mysterious mirror, they swap places. Overall, this is a great book for teenage readers.
Author: Walter Farley Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 7 – 14 Genres: Realistic Fiction, Action/Adventure, Sports, Horses Content Labels: None (that I noticed) The Black Stallion is a great book for horse lovers. It has been a while since I’ve read it, but from what I remember it is about a boy named Alec who is saved by a wild black stallion in a storm at sea. The stallion and Alec become friends. The first book is really good, but I started to read the second one, and it really wasn’t as good as the first. I haven’t read any of the other Black Stallion books because I was a little turned off by the second one. But the first one is really good.
Author: Frank E. Peretti Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 10+ Genres: Action/Adventure, Christian, Mystery Content Labels: Demon possession (but displayed in a negative light), mild violence, spiritual warfare The Cooper Kids Adventures is a very fun and exciting book series. It is about two kids and their father who are Christian archeologists. There are, however, demons and demonic powers frequently mentioned in the series, even though it’s Christian. Because of this, it isn’t very good for younger kids.
Author: C.S. Lewis Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Fantasy, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Magic (but Christ-centered), violence (non-descriptive) The Chronicles of Narnia is a great series. It has lots of action, adventure, and fantasy, but it is still appropriate for younger children also, as C.S. Lewis keeps most of the fighting and magic light. It is great for children and adults to read. It’s about another world called Narnia, which has many different kinds of creatures: talking animals, centaurs, dwarfs, and others. I think it’s an amazing book series and should be read by everyone.
Author: Rick Riordan Reading Level: 4th grade+ Age Recommendation: 11+ Genres: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Mentions of puberty, giant monster octopus Daughter of the Deep is written by Rick Riordan, one of the world’s most famous children’s authors. He is also the author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a fantastical series based on Greek Mythology. I personally am not very interested in those books, because the covers look a little bit dark. But this book was actually very good and had barely any fantasy at all. There was a giant octopus, but other than that, it was fine. The only thing to be slightly concerned about is brief mentions of puberty (girl puberty, to be exact), and some occasional non-descriptive violence. Other than that, it was a great book, and held my attention for the two days it took me to read it. This book is great for teenage readers
Author: Wayne Thomas Batson Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9-17 Genres: Allegory, Christian, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Violence (non-descriptive), some fantasy (but no magic) The Door Within is an allegorical book series written by Wayne Thomas Batson. I enjoyed this book a lot. It reminded me somewhat of The Prince Warriors series by Priscilla Shirer, but I actually enjoyed it more. It was a lot easier to see the parallels between the fantasy of the book and the real earth, and I found that it was easier to follow and relate with because there weren’t too many “main” characters. Overall, I think this is a great fantastical allegory for tweens and teens.
Author: Laura Martin Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9+ Genres: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, Mystery Content Labels: Mentions of dinosaurs eating people, violence (non-descriptive) On the Edge of Extinction is an awesome book for action/adventure lovers. The setting is the future, in an underground compound. When scientists find out a way to bring dinosaurs back to life, the dinosaurs take over and humans are forced to live underground. A girl named Skye receives a secret message from her father who’s been missing for a few years, and suddenly she finds herself on a mission above-ground to get to Lake Michigan.
Author: Rebecca Tingle Reading Level: 5th grade+ Age Recommendation: 10+ Genres: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Violence, warfare, talk of betrothal at a young age The Edge on the Sword is a wonderful story about medieval Europe. It is about 16-year-old Princess Aethelflaed, the daughter of King Alfred, who learns to become a warrior, despite the fact that she is a girl. I found this book super inspiring. There is, however, some violence and things that may not be the best for younger kids to read, so that’s why I recommend it for ages ten and up.
Author: Jenny L. Cote Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9+ Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian, Animals Content Labels: None (that I noticed) This book series is awesome. The first book, The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud is about a dog named Max who is called by God to help lead the animals to Noah’s Ark to save them from the flood. He soon makes friends: another dog named Kate, funny Albert, and smart Liz. All of the books in the series start pretty slow, and they get pretty boring as they go on. But the endings, which are always super exciting, are always worth the wait.
Author: Jennifer A. Nielson Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 10+ Genres: Action/Adventure Content Labels: Violence (non-descriptive), mentions of swearing (but no actual words) lying and trickery from main characters (but is eventually portrayed in a bad light) I wouldn’t exactly call The False Prince fantasy, but it was the closest genre I could find. It is about an orphan boy named Sage who is forced into playing the role of the lost prince Jaron so that he can keep an evil leader from stealing the crown. This book is full of action, drama, suspense, and excitement. There is some killing, but nothing too descriptive. There is also some bad attitudes from the main character, but again, nothing horribly bad.
Author: Carol Kendall Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 7 – 14 Genres: Fantasy, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Mild magic and fantasy The Gammage Cup is one of the lesser-known books listed in this post. It is a little more low-key than what I’ve mentioned so far, but it is still fascinating and interesting. It is about creatures called Minnipins, who have lived in peace for years, always doing the same thing. But when some more unusual and unique Minnipins discover an army of Mushrooms, or Hairless Ones, near their village, the Minnipins are in grave danger of being forced out of their homes. There is a second book in the series called The Whisper of Glocken, but I, unfortunately, haven’t read it yet.
Author: Laura Martin Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9+ Genres: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, Time Travel Content Labels: Violence Glitch is another one of Laura Martin’s books. It is about people, Glitchers, who have the special ability in their DNA to time travel. Glitchers have to protect the past; they have to stop the bad guys, butterflies, from doing something to the past to change the future. I found this novel very interesting, although at times I got a little bit confused on how all the time travel stuff works. But overall, this book is great for all kinds of people.
Author: Avi Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9+ Genres: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Main character living in a dangerous part of town (with drunkards and other rowdy people) Gold Rush Girl is excellent historical fiction all about the California Gold Rush. It is about a girl named Victoria who goes with her poor father and little brother to San Fransisco, California, to pan for gold. I found this book very inspiring and fun, and I would definitely recommend it.
Author: Jack Cavenaugh & Bill Bright Reading Level: 5th grade+ Age Recommendation: 12+ Genres: Historical Fiction, Courtroom Drama Content Labels: Mature topics The Great Awakenings is a Christian historical fiction series about young Harrison Shaw, an aspiring lawyer. When Harrison comes between J.K. Jarves (a man who either makes or breaks attorneys) and his daughter, he must face the consequences and learn to rely on God for his help. Highly recommended, but it is an adult book, so for kids under twelve some of the topics may be a bit too mature.
Author: John D. Fitzgerald Reading Level: 4th grade+ Age Recommendation: 11+ Genres: Comedy Content Labels: Lack of morals from main characters, mention of suicide The Great Brain is a fictional series about a boy named John, and his brother, Tom (a.k.a The Great Brain). Tom is always thinking of ways to make money, whether they’re the right ways or not, and that’s one thing that makes this book hilarious. The only bad thing about this book is the way Tom takes advantage of his brothers and his friends in order to get money, and some of the things he does in the book are very mean. But overall, for older kids, this book is fun to read.
Author: S.D. Smith Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Fantasy, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Violence (non-descriptive), VERY mild romance The Green Ember is a very good book, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s about two rabbits, Heather and Picket, who are driven out of their home because of the evil wolves and birds of prey. They must learn to fight for freedom. There is quite a bit of fighting and violence in this book series, but S.D. Smith doesn’t get too detailed, which I like.
Author: Gary Bower Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9+ Genres: Allegory, Action/Adventure, Christian, Drama Content Labels: None (that I noticed) Gulliver Wimple and the Gems of Dara Mhor is a Christian allegory about teenagers who discover the truths of the book of Proverbs in the Bible through the world of Dara Mhor. It is similar to The Prince Warriors Series by Priscilla Shirer which I mentioned later in this post. Only the first book in the series has been released so far, but I can’t wait to read the other books! I also wrote a blog post about an interesting technique used to write this book, so make sure to check that out here.
Author: Grace A. Johnson Reading Level: 6th grade+ Age Recommendation: 13+ Genres: Historical romance, action/adventure Content Labels: Kissing, brief mentions of making out (always displayed in a negative light), violence Held Captive is an AMAZING romance book. When I read the title and saw the cover of this book, I did not expect it to be QUITE as good as it was. Plus, when you think of historical romance, pirates and action and mystery isn’t exactly what comes to mind. I loved this book so much, but there are a few things to be aware of. The romance was a bit more descriptive in some spots than I would have liked, and there is some adult content. So I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of thirteen. If you want to read more about my thoughts on Held Captive, you can read the full review here.
Author: Corrie ten Boom Reading Level: 5th grade+ Age Recommendation: 13+ Genres: Autobiography, Non-Fiction Content Labels: Torture, violence, hardship The Hiding Place is an autobiography about the life of Corrie ten Boom who was alive during WWII. It is a very descriptive and interesting book that I would definitely recommend. I don’t think it’s appropriate for younger readers because there is a lot of hardship and even torture, which can be difficult for children to read, especially when they know it’s a true story. But for older readers, this book makes you appreciate every single thing that you have in your life and has personally helped me a lot with being grateful for what I have.
Author: Kirby Larson Reading Level: 4th grade+ Age Recommendation: 10+ Genres: Historical Fiction, Drama Content Labels: Mild romance, hardship Hattie Big Sky is a historical fiction book about sixteen-year-old Hattie who inherits her uncle’s ranch in Montana and decides to run it herself. The setting is during WWI, so it also includes historical events and describes some of the hardships people went through at that time. It is funny and interesting, so I would definitely recommend it!
Author: Terry Lynn Johnson Reading Level: 4th grade+ Age Recommendation: 11-16 Genres: Realistic Fiction, Survival Content Labels: Survival Ice Dogs is an amazing book about a girl named Victoria and her sled dogs. When she finds a boy who accidentally crashed his snowmobile into a tree, she must bring him home. But in the process, they get lost in the woods and have to find their way out. I recommend this book for all ages, but especially tweens.
Author: Lynne Reid Banks Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Fantasy Content Labels: Magic, violence The Indian in the Cupboard is a book about a boy named Omri’s miniature plastic toy Indian coming to life… through a magical cupboard. This book was VERY funny and engaging, and very exciting throughout the whole thing. (I might have read it in a day, just maybe… 😏) When Omri’s friend, Patrick, makes his toy Cowboy come to life through the cupboard… well, that’s when the trouble starts.
Author: Kevin Emerson Reading Level: 2nd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9-16 Genres: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure, Mystery Content Labels: Mentions of evolution Last Day on Mars is a very cool sci-fi book. It’s about the struggle for humanity to survive after Earth is destroyed by the ever-expanding sun. Humans have been wandering through space, searching for a new planet to live on. Two kids, Liam and Pheobe live on Mars, but along with the rest of the people living there, they will soon have to leave because of the same sun. Everything is prepared to depart: the spaceships, the passengers, and the supplies. But before they leave, Liam and Pheobe discover a plot that will ruin the whole plan to save the human race.
Author: Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins Reading Level: 5th grade+ Age Recommendation: 11+ Genres: Action/Adventure, Christian Content Labels: Mature topics, violence, torture Left Behind is one of my favorite book series. It is about the end times and the rapture. It is very Bible based, and the characters were unique and relatable. This is an adult book, however, so there are a few things that aren’t really meant for young kids to read about. But there is a kids series that is appropriate, so for most young children, I would recommend that. I just prefer the adult series because it’s more thick and detailed.
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien Reading Level: 7th grade+ Age Recommendation: 12+ Genres: Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Classic Content Labels: Magic, darkness, violence and warfare, mild romance The Lord of the Rings is a very well-known fantasy book. It is very exciting. I would not recommend it for younger readers for two reasons: 1) There is a lot of sorcery and fighting, which is not really meant for little kids 2) It is a hard book to read. Tolkien uses lots of big words and sentences, which are hard to understand even for me. But overall, this is a great book series for young adults as well as grown-ups.
Author: A.L. Tait Reading Level: 4th grade+ Age Recommendation: 10+ Genres: Fantasy, Adventure Content Labels: Mentions of swearing (no actual words), violence and killing (non-descriptive)
The Mapmaker Chronicles is a book series I recently read and really enjoyed. This is actually one of my favorite series, and I highly recommend this book for teenage readers. It was enjoyable, suspenseful, and overall just a great story. In my opinion, there were a few things that were lacking, but nothing that I haven’t noticed with any of the other books on this list.
Author: Barbara Nickel Reading Level: 2nd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8-14 Genres: Historical Fiction, Music Content Labels: None (that I noticed) The Mozart Girl is a good book for those who like music, especially the piano. It is about the sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the famous composer. It has been a while since I’ve read this book, so I don’t remember how much of it is fictional and how much is true, but I do know that I loved the intricacy of it and how I could connect with the characters so well.
Author: Jean Craighead George Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 7+ Genres: Adventure Content Labels: None (that I noticed) My Side of the Mountain is a very interesting book. It is about a boy who runs away from his home in the city to live in the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains. He has to learn how to survive in the outdoors. I would definitely recommend this for a read-aloud at bedtime. It doesn’t have too much suspense, but it will still hold the attention of younger readers.
Author: Katherine Applegate Reading Level: 2nd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Biography Content Labels: None (that I noticed) The One and Only Ivan is a book based on a true story about a gorilla named Ivan, who spends most of his life among humans and puts on shows at a mall in Seattle, Washington. When Ivan meets a baby elephant named Ruby, he must hatch a plan to help both of them escape.
Author: Shannon Hale Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Drama, Action/Adventure, Romance Content Labels: Brief mentions of a “creator god”, romance Princess Academy is a romance book that is great for readers of all ages. When I saw the title of this book, I was expecting a middle-grade drama mixed with a medieval twist, but it was actually much different than I was expecting. The actual Princess Academy actually seemed dirty and run down, rather than upscale like I had been expecting. Despite this fact, the book was still very good and I would definitely recommend it. It’s about a girl named Miri, who gets called to The Princess Academy to compete with other girls her age to see who gets to marry the new prince of Danland. There were a few parts where a creator god (with a lowercase G) was mentioned, but it was very rare and wasn’t a big part of the book.
Author: Priscilla Shirer and Gina Detweiler Reading Level: 3rd Grade+ Age Recommendation: 10+ Genres: Allegory, Christian, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Violence (non-descriptive), representation of demons The Prince Warriors series is a sort of allegory, based on the Bible. It is pretty good, but a little bit hard to piece together as to what it means in real life. It also gets a little weird in the last book, with spiritual demons basically coming to life and changing people into zombies. It’s about four kids, Xavier, Evan, Brianna, and Levi, who travel into another world called Ahoratos. It is a spiritual and even more real world than earth. The four children become Prince Warriors, and they have to face the deadly devices of Poneros, a.k.a. the Devil.
Author: Avi Reading Level: 9+ Age Recommendation: 7+ Genres: Animals Content Labels: None (that I noticed) Ragweed is a great book. It’s the first book in the Poppy series. It’s about a mouse named Ragweed who leaves his comfortable home in the woods to go explore the city. I recommend this for a family read-aloud, or for older kids who enjoy reading by themselves.
Author: Stuart Gibbs Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9-14 Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama Content Labels: Typical middle-grade drama, some crushes, mild bathroom talk, violence Spy School is a spy thriller book for middle grade readers. It has been a while since I’ve read this book, but from what I remember, it was really good. The plot was AMAZING, and I really enjoyed it (I literally read it in like a day). It’s about a boy named Ben Ripley who is invited to join a school that teaches kids how to be spies. I like this book because it’s a mix of action and drama. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it occasionally briefly mentions things like going to the bathroom, and some of the attitudes are kind of just annoying to read about. Other than that, this book is really good.
Author: M. Jane Gundale Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Historical Fiction Content Labels: None (that I noticed) The Tea Party on Boston Harbor is actually a short story written by a friend of mine. I would definitely recommend this book for almost all ages. It’s very educational, and there’s even a moral at the end of the story! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Author: Lois Walfrid Johnson Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure, Romance Content Labels: Mild violence (non-descriptive), mild romance The Viking Quest is a historical fiction Viking age series about an Irish girl named Bree who is stolen away by the Vikings. I found this book very interesting and engaging, and great for a family read-a-loud. Very educational, but also super fun to read.
Author: Wendy McClure Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 9-15 Genres: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure Content Labels: None (that I noticed) Wanderville is about three kids, Frances, Harold, and Jack, who are on an orphan train in the 1800s. When they hear terrible rumors about the place they are going to, the three kids jump off the train. They soon meet a boy called Alexander, who will change their lives forever. This book is very inspiring and fun.
Author: Richard Adams Reading Level: 4th grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Classic, Animals, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Mentions of mating, violence, blood and the occasional death of a rabbit Watership Down is an awesome book. It is about the life of rabbits, who go through many difficulties in escaping their destroyed warren. It does include some mating, though not too detailed, and plenty of fighting. It gets even more exciting at the last part. There is also a sequel called Tales from Watership Down which is good too.
Author: Geoffrey Trease Reading Level: 5th grade+ Age Recommendation: 11+ Genres: Historical Fiction, Action/Adventure Content Labels: None (that I noticed) Web of Traitors is one of the best, most-suspenseful historical fiction books I’ve ever read. With its diverse characters, exciting plot, and interesting twists, this book was a perfect balance of fantastic storytelling and accurate history. I loved how the book also touched on woman’s rights, and how in Athens, Greece, they didn’t have that as much as we do here in America. Unfortunately, this book is rare and harder to find at bookstores. You can still buy a hardcover copy through Amazon, but the price will be slightly more expensive than a normal book would.
Author: Jonathan Rogers Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 8+ Genres: Allegory, Christian, Fantasy, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Mild violence (non-descriptive) The Wilderking Trilogy is an allegory based on the life of King David in the Bible. Most Bible-based allegories are too boring for me since I already know most of the stories, but this book series was surprisingly interesting. The author does a good job of keeping to the real story, while also adding some things in between that make it more interesting and exciting.
Reading Level: 4rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 10+ Genres: Fantasy, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Violence (non-descriptive), warfare, VERY mild romance, some weird creatures, magic (Christ-centered) The Wingfeather Saga is my all-time favorite book series. It is packed with adventure, mystery, humor, and excitement. It’s about three siblings, Janner, Tink, and Leeli, who live in a world called Aerwiar. Aerwiar has been overrun by the evil Fangs of Dang, and the siblings must take a stand against Gnag the Nameless, their evil ruler. The fourth and last book in the series, The Warden and the Wolf King gets a little bit scary and weird for younger kids, so that’s why I would recommend it for ages 10 and up. There is also another “extra” book in the series, called Wingfeather Tales. It is more stories about the world of Aerwiar, and it’s actually pretty interesting, although not as exciting as the main series.
World of Silence is such a powerful story. My friend, Kaytlin Phillips, wrote this book, but even if this wasn’t written by a friend, I would still love it. The prose is beautiful, the plot is engaging, and everything about it was just amazing. This is literally one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend this book for teenage readers!
Author: Marchette Chut Reading Level: 3rd grade+ Age Recommendation: 6 – 13 Genres: Historical Fiction Content Labels: Running away from home The Wonderful Winter is a “Wonderful” novel. It is about an English boy who runs away from home for the winter. He soon joins Shakespeare’s theater and learns to be an actor. It is inspiring and interesting, and it really brings Shakespeare’s plays to life.
Author: Madeline L’Engle Reading Level: 5th grade+ Age Recommendation: 12+ Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action/Adventure Content Labels: Mind-reading and manipulation A Wrinkle in Time is a great sci-fi book. It has been a while since I’ve read it, so I might not remember right, but I think it’s about three kids who travel to another planet called Camazotz, where they have to defeat the evil that is controlling the whole planet. It is a little bit weird, and the science it tries to explain is a little bit hard to understand, but overall it is a great book. There are also some more books in the series, but I was a little disappointed when I read them because they weren’t really as good as the first one.
[…] used third person in the past, but that was mainly because it was what I knew and was used in most books I read. But more recently, I started researching first person. Why did people use it? What was so great […]
[…] in the past, but that was mainly because it was what I knew and was used in most of the books I read. But more recently I started researching first-person. Why did people use it? What was so great […]
I recommend all series by Stuart Gibbs. I am getting a little old for them by now but my goodness they are fun books. His main 3 series fallow the same sort of structure being spy thrillers with teens as the main characters. One of his series is a time traveling adventure using the 3 musketeers but making a new story around it. The final series is a differently structured spy thriller.
i would really recommend adding a series called ‘Viking Quest,’ which is by Louis Walfred Johnson. its romance, adventure, and really teaches you about friendship and courage. it was super good, i read it first in 4th grade, but love that series so much, i’m constantly rereading it.
What genre would you say it’s most like? You said it’s romance, but sometimes romance is more of a secondary genre, so I was wondering what section in this post I should actually put it under. Would it be under Historical Fiction?
And what age recommendation and grade level do you think it is? Sorry I’m asking you all these questions, I just need to know because I haven’t read the series yet.
also, ‘Where the read ferns grow’ is an awesome book, which i couldn’t rip myself away from. i have read it several times, and its one of my favorites. its super sad, and made me cry. it was the best.
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